We have all experienced that muscle knot that causes us pain. If only someone would massage that one spot, we know it would get better. What do our pets do when they experience this discomfort?
These muscle knots are called myofacial trigger points. One of the physical rehabilitation and pain management techniques we employ is called myofacial trigger point dry needling. When these muscle knots are massaged, the knot releases and the muscle regains normal function. More importantly, the pain is gone. The dry needling technique uses acupuncture needles to stimulate this trigger point release. This along with manual manipulation and muscle massage can alleviate many painful conditions without medications.
How do we know our pets are experiencing these same conditions? A trained practitioner can palpate these trigger points and our pets will show discomfort when these points are stimulated. After treatment, the pet will no longer show discomfort to stimulation of these same areas. We all feel better after a good deep tissue massage. This is because many trigger points are released. Some patients will require a series of treatments but all will show improvement after the first treatment.
